Frying a turkey
11-15-2011, 07:01 PM
#1
Frying a turkey
I'm going attempt this feat next week. I have the peanut oil & I have the 8 quart Butterball Turkey fryer shipping to me this week.
Not 1 but 3 I need to fry. 2 for a dinner & then 1 for myself.
I have never had it before & never attempted it. This should be fun....
Not 1 but 3 I need to fry. 2 for a dinner & then 1 for myself.
I have never had it before & never attempted it. This should be fun....
11-15-2011, 07:25 PM
#2
Administrator Alumnus
Couple of tips.
Need to keep the oil around 350F. Hotter and the bird cooks too quick. Colder and the outside doesn't crisp as much as it should.
7-8 minutes per pound.
The bird should sit out a bit before plunking into the oil. The warmer, the less risk for an oil flashback. Don't you dare put in a frozen turkey unless you want to make the evening news. Invest in some good rubber insulated mits/gloves.
Oh and do it far away from any buildings or structures.
If you're doing multiple birds, go get some of those styrofoam coolers that will hold a case of beer on ice. Cook the birds, then wrap them in foil and put them in the styrofoam containers. It'll stay hot for HOURS and makes the meat even that much better.
Enjoy. It's the best turkey you'll ever have.
Need to keep the oil around 350F. Hotter and the bird cooks too quick. Colder and the outside doesn't crisp as much as it should.
7-8 minutes per pound.
The bird should sit out a bit before plunking into the oil. The warmer, the less risk for an oil flashback. Don't you dare put in a frozen turkey unless you want to make the evening news. Invest in some good rubber insulated mits/gloves.
Oh and do it far away from any buildings or structures.
If you're doing multiple birds, go get some of those styrofoam coolers that will hold a case of beer on ice. Cook the birds, then wrap them in foil and put them in the styrofoam containers. It'll stay hot for HOURS and makes the meat even that much better.
Enjoy. It's the best turkey you'll ever have.
11-16-2011, 12:55 AM
#5
Made one last year. Best turkey ever. Don't remember cooking it 7-8 minutes per pound. IIRC it was 3-4 minutes per pound but since you're using an electric one it might be different. Just follow the instruction that came with your cooker.
Another tip is the weight of your turkey. Dont go by whats on the label. Remember that youre going to prepare it so youre going to remove some weight. So keep that in mind when youre calculating your cook time.
I thawed my turkey and inject it with seasoning a week before I cooked it. I watched a lot of YouTube on how NOT to deep fry a turkey LOL
Another tip is the weight of your turkey. Dont go by whats on the label. Remember that youre going to prepare it so youre going to remove some weight. So keep that in mind when youre calculating your cook time.
I thawed my turkey and inject it with seasoning a week before I cooked it. I watched a lot of YouTube on how NOT to deep fry a turkey LOL
11-16-2011, 03:24 AM
#6
Drifting
haha, indoors, that sounds scary, but I guess at least it shouldn't have open flame or anything. Still putting in too much oil (displacement) or forgetting water in the carcass (or the neck/gizzards), would probably make a huge mess, or may still be a pretty big fire hazard. Good luck. I've always meant to give it shot, but never got ambitious enough to buy all the hardware. I'm still trying to think of something interesting to do this year for the turkey.
11-16-2011, 07:01 AM
#7
Team Owner
Let us know how it goes!
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11-21-2011, 02:56 AM
#8
i would brine the bird and allow to air dry for the best result. Brining helps keep the bird moist and allows you to flavor the bird at the same time. Air dry in your fridge on a rack. the dryer your bird the crispier the outcome. also, water and hot oil does not go well. temper you bird before you drop it in the fryer. remember to set the fry temp higher so that it doesn't doesn't drop to much when the bird goes in. happy frying.
11-21-2011, 08:13 AM
#9
Senior Moderator
get an injector kit and inject the bird. You can get all different "flavors" to inject. Brining is also a good thing to do. And even though its electric its still something i would do outside 
11-21-2011, 08:17 AM
#10
Niner Faithful
11-23-2011, 09:08 PM
#11
Well it turned out GREAT!. I have to say I'm surprised this indoor fryer worked so well. I HIGHLY recommend it. Did 2 turkeys today. The bigger one(14lb) was 55min the smaller one(12lb) was 48. Both were easy.
This butterball master craft fryer came as a kit with seasons, injector & gloves. And the directions are simple & easy to follow. And it breaks down into pieces for cleaning. I'm really impressed with it. Hardest part was dropping the bird into it slowly.
And it just doesn't do turkey. You can fry anything & it also steams.
It warns you not to do that. Really is exteamly easy.
This butterball master craft fryer came as a kit with seasons, injector & gloves. And the directions are simple & easy to follow. And it breaks down into pieces for cleaning. I'm really impressed with it. Hardest part was dropping the bird into it slowly.
And it just doesn't do turkey. You can fry anything & it also steams.
And even though its electric its still something i would do outside
Last edited by fuzzy02CLS; 11-23-2011 at 09:11 PM.
11-25-2011, 12:55 AM
#12
Stage 1 Audi S5
Freaking amazing turkey! Mom was so against the "redneck frying" but she loved it too. I went with the traditional propane set up but it was easy and highly recommended (made chips too ha).
11-25-2011, 01:27 AM
#13
Nothing beats a fried turkey! lowering the turkey in the oil slowly is a huge challenge especially when they get close to the 20lb range! Not a huge fan of those "flavor injectors". basically, creates several large holes (where ever you inject it from) and allows the moisture to escape. Not too big of a problem when deep frying, but when roasting you may see a difference.
11-25-2011, 08:25 AM
#14
Team Owner
On the plus side, I didn't have to cook this year. On the negative side, I had dried out bird. 
I'm going to fry one for Christmas.
That indoor fryer seems to get really good reviews. Maybe I will give it a shot instead of using my propane setup. Does it make a lot of smoke or splatter?
I'm going to fry one for Christmas.
That indoor fryer seems to get really good reviews. Maybe I will give it a shot instead of using my propane setup. Does it make a lot of smoke or splatter?
Last edited by doopstr; 11-25-2011 at 08:33 AM.
11-25-2011, 12:11 PM
#15
Does it make a lot of smoke or splatter?
11-25-2011, 12:35 PM
#16
I'm married to a girl who's fam is from Luisiana and they have been frying turkeys for many years. After 7 Thanksgiving meals with them I have it down. With peanut oil between 350 and 375 you should do 3.5 mins per pound. The hard part is always dropping it slow and that's where the accidents normally happen, oil in the pot should be a about 1/3 full depending on bird size and of course pot size. The water in the turkey is what makes it splatter, the slower the better and when you get to the point where the oil rolls the turkey cavity then things simmer down. We have found that a regular clothes hanger tied around the legs and no covers on the pot work best. Yeah pretty red neck but it creates a longer handle to drop it in and not feel the splatter or heat on your hand. Tony's Cajun seasoning, garlic powder, Luisiana hot sauce and italian dressing is about all we inject them with. We did 3 yesterday and 32 on Tuesday for a local organization.
11-26-2011, 02:29 PM
#17
to minimize "splatter" you want to make sure the bird is as dry as possible. Water and hot oil does not mix. if possible, air dry in fridge the night before on a rack. if not, just pat dry and "dunk" the bird slowly.
11-26-2011, 02:44 PM
#18
was it completely sealed? or vented?
Yeah I patted them down before & after the fridge & left them on wire rack in my fridge over night after I seasoned them. They were covered though. Any excess water wasn't a problem, as I dunked them slowly. I know all too well about water & oil. Saw the mythbusters episode on that one
11-28-2014, 01:41 PM
#21
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